Folding ironing board and cabinet therefor



Sept. 9, 1952 .1. J. TOTH 2,609,628

FOLDING IRONING BOARD AND CABINET THEREFOR Filed March 18, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l s I i u JQ/m J 110m ATTOPNE )(3 J. J. TOTH FOLDING IRONINGBOARD ANDCABINET THEREFOR Filedyarcnla. 1949 ssneets-sne'et 2 Nn. mm m@ vw mm mw. 5% @m mm .w 8 wm wm E Sept. 9, 1952 J, J, ToTH FOLDING IRONING BOARD AND CABINET THEREFDR 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 18. 1949 l INVENTOR. L/U/L. J 770th m N T T A m uw W Patented Sept. 9, 1952 FGLDING IRoNi-NG BOARD AND. CABINET! i THEREFOR John J. Toth, Wilmington, nel;l f D Application March 18, 1949"; Serial No; 82,1599?,

. This. invention relates to folding ironing. boards', and more. particularly to` boards cornprising a plurality' of hingedv leaves which constitute the ironing surface.

The. presenti invention" is concerned withA improveementsv in a folding ironing board. of the type described and claimed incopending application Serial No. 9,548r ledFebruary l1.9, 19.48,. entitled IroningloardLD The-.ironing boardof this copending. application. comprises'a. pair of leaves hingedly connected together; each leaf separate. from thev other" pivotally carrying an articulated fold'able leg. and falso. an articulated' foldable strut connected betweenv the leaf and th'ei leg whereby the struts and legs. maybe `extended tosupport the leaves in' openposition, orv folded' against the leaves. and` then the'. leaves; folded tov` collapse. the. ironing board. The. constructioni of this ironing board is' such that. each leg is extended or collapsed independently of the other leg, and while this 'has proved .tot belsatisfactory for the purpose. otirigidlysupporting the ironing board when in usefit has not maintained the boardfin operative positi'onif anser should liftlth'e board at points between; its ends,.for the purpose vof shifting the' board slightly or carrying it to.- another spot, sincef such upward pressurelresults" in the leaves foldingy on each other;N as occurs: when the. board is; being collapsed, eventhou'gh:` the legs remain locked in extended position.

An ohiectv of .the-.present inventionf'` is to` overcome; the above. disadvantage'of collapse ofi the leavesgwhen'l the ironing. board is: lifted.A after be.-Y ingqsetr up... This object .is accomplished by.' the provision onan improved: folding ironing board having; articulated legs y whichf are interconnected so that they are extendableor' collapsible simultarieously rather thanindependently;V of each other (and concurrently withfolding Vor unfold` ing ofthe', leaves)wherebywhen thev legs are lockedin extended position they also`- lock the leaves in'open position., Thusfthere is .prevented the zcollapsefof the leavesJV when, after .theI board hasA been setup, it isliftedg'at'. points intermediate itsends-,to shiftorrtransport it.-

Another i objectof., thefinventionl, is: to provide an improved:l folding V.ironing board as; charactor-ized above), in. which: the operationsrv of setting up and collapsing3-the-'board1may: `loe-'very simply and. quickly carried" out, without the operator ,requiring detailed instructions or any materiall degree ofiskill. v

Yet: another object of: the invention is to: proa vide;4 an improved folding'. ironing; board ine` acfo claims.. (c1. ss-'129) co'rdancewith the above, -wherein agpair of'legs at one end of the board is provided with simple effective' `means automatically spreading them apart at their lower extremities during the setting up movement of the board. I

A further object of the invention is to provide an' improved ironing board as set forth above, which is light in weight and when collapsed is relatively'small andy compact. Y 1

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved ironing board asv characterized above.. in which the articulated legs and strutsV follow' natural movements in being extendedv or collapsed, thereby enabling a. user to easily operate the ner.

Yet another objectof the invention is tofprovidean improvedfolding ironing board having foldable leaves, legs, and struts, in which the openingA movement of the `leaves results inthe legs and struts being automatically moved tor-an extent i toward .their extended positions.th ereby facilitating: the setting up of the board; Y Still another object of the invention is toprovide an improved# folding ironing board in; aceH cordance with the above, which hasv but few parts;l of` simple construction, andV which is accordingly-simple and economical to produce'.

Another object of the invention is to provideA a simple? and vsturdy collapsible ironing board,r arranged in combinationwith a cabinet whereby tha-board-may be very quickly and-easily set up for; use, or collapsed and stored in a relatively small space available in the cabinet, either in a door compartmentv or iny a drawer space.

In one embodiment of the invention, .illus-j trating the combination ironing board v andV cabi@ net, thelatter acts as a' supporty for one end: of

the ironing board: In` another embodiment, the

ironingboard is completely removable from the storage space in the cabinet, and may be set up on it'sown supports* and transported to' anyde-V sired'location; f' f Al furtiierobjecioi the invention ist@ provide movable parts Ain the requiredV manline 4-4 of Fig. l, through one of the pivots for l the front leg.

Fig. 5 is a detail showing the construction of the yoke portion of the front leg, together with the adjacent portion of a manually releasablek locking strut and the pivotal connection between these parts.

Fig. 6 is a detail in section showing one of the adjustable feet of the ironing board, wherebythe height of the board may be adjusted. r

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal 'section through the horizontal strut'or cross brace between the pairof legs at one end of the board. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on line 8 8 of-Fig. A.g

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an ironing board and cabinet combination, showing the board extended and set up for use, and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a different ironing board and cabinet combination, the ironing board being collapsed and stored in a door compartment of the cabinet.

Referring to Figs. l' and 2, an ironing made in accordance with the invention is shown as comprising a iiat, top structure I0 formed-'of a back leaf II and a front leaf I2, the leaves II and I2 having juxtaposed edges I3 and 'lirespectively, which are connected together by a hinge I5; The=leaves II and I2 "are hollow, having flat top portionsv and having depending flanges I6 and Il arranged so that" the resulting organizations form a pair of squat box-like structures open at their bottoms. f As shown in Fig. 3, the leaves II and I2 may be folded together in superposed relationship and held therein by a spring clip I8. -When so folded, the tops of the leaves are separated by an intervening space I9, in which the supporting structure for the leaves is folded and disposed. When the leaves I I and I2 are opened or aligned with each other, the juxtaposed edges I3 and I4 are in abutment together with the. usual aligning pins I3 and apertures`l4 and serve-to position the leaves whereby they forma continuous flat-and horizontalironing surface. The flanges I6 and II at the edges I3 and I4 may also engage'each other when the leaves are open and aligned. 1 A

In accordance with the present invention, an improved extendable and collapsible supporting structure comprising articulated. interconnected legs -is provided forthe leaves I land I2, the said structure when extended supporting the leaves in operative positionand whencollapsed occupying the intervening space I9 between .the leaves after the latter have been folded together. This supporting structure is characterized by concurrent operation ofthe legs, and of the legs and leaves, resulting in extreme ease and simplicity of operation and enabling the boardwhen set up for use, to be lifted at or near its center without folding or collapsing of the leaves II and' I2 ocvboard curring; by the utilization of natural movements whereby an unskilled person may readily set up or collapse the ironing board without requiring instructions or directions; and by extreme simplicity and ruggedness of the parts whereby the leaves I I and I2 are held very stable and whereby the useful life of the ironing board is greatly extended.

Referring to Figs. l and 2 kthis improved, novel. leaf-supporting structure comprises a' pair of articulated rear legs and 2l permanently pivotally secured respectively to the flanges I6 of the rear leaf` II 4adjacent the rear edge 22 thereof, and comprises a front articulated leg 23 having a yoke 24 connected with angularly extending divergent arms 25 which are permanently pivotally connected to the flanges Il of the front leaf I2 at points removed a slight distance from the hinged edge I4 thereof.

Each of the articulated legs 28, 2l comprises an upperV leg part 26 connected to a lower"A leg part 2l' by a pivotal knee joint 23."V A horizontal strut 29 interconnects the lower leg, parts 21. The front articulated leg 23 comprises an upper leg part 3l) hingedly connected 'by means of a pivotal knee joint. 3I to .a.lower-leg part 32. The upper leg part 3Bis preferably hollowand is rigidly secured to a shank or stud 33 of a' Y- shaped connector member 34 having integral vdivergent fingers or studs 35 which are received in and bolted to the arms 25 forming theuppermost parts of the front articulated leg 2,3. .Y i-f .z

The leg parts 25..and '2l' mayA be "tubular throughout, and may be secured to the fianges I6 and .ITI by iiattening the ends ofthe parts, perforating the ends .and passing pivot studs throughthem as shown in` Fig. 4, equipped with spring washers which compensate for wear. The tension of these springs can be regulated to control the sequence of movementof. the legs.

Theupper extremities of the .leg rpartsZG. have abutting portionsA 36 engageable with stopsitlse-v cured .to the back 'leaf II whereby the rea'rjlegs 20; 2l are-positioned as shown in Figs. .1 and2 to properly support the leavesI I I and vI2.horifz.'on tally. Also, the upper extremities of the arms 25 of the front articulated leg 23 have abutting portions133 engageable with stops 39 secured to the flanges II of the front leaf I2 to properly position the front leg for supporting` the leaves horizontally. .j

It will be observed iromrlig.'2 that the knee jointsV 28 and 3I are so arranged that the lower parts of the legs may berfolded inward :on the upper parts; and softhat the' associated .parts of the individual legs mayxbebpositioned inalignzment With each other when supporting the leaves IIand I2 horizontallygff.'1.21)?. g... :i i

.According to theinventidn, a novel'and improved strut 'meansis provided,` interconnecting the front and rear articulated legs 20, ZIand 23 toholdfthe legs firmly in their'extended positions supportingthe leaves, "and operative to enable` the' legparts tovb'efolded against Yeachother and against the leaves whenl the board-isoellapsed. This strut means-comprises afplurality of strut sections 40, 4Ilan'd- 42 pivotally connected tcgether by knee joints 43 'and' 44, the section 4I being located intermediate the other sections. The strut section lill is pivotally carried by the brace 29 intermediate the ends of the latter, and the strut section' 42 `has apair of arms 42a and 42h spaced from each otherand at their extremitiespivotally. connected ltothe front .leg part'32. The kneefjoints=43 .fand 44 are arranged to position the strut sections 4i and 42 in alignment with veach other when the ironing board is set up for use, and as shown in Fig. 2- the said joints enable the end strut sections 40 and V42 to be folded downward and then against'the intermediate strut section 4I when the ironing board is collapsed. Y

Referring to Figs. 2 and 5, the yoke portion y24 of the front articulated leg 23is providedwith a tting 45 having a hinged connection 46 Ywith a manually operable locking arm 41 adapted to engage a locking' projection 48 having a recess 49 'for receiving the extremity of the arm 41., the said projection being immovably carried by the underside of the front leaf l2 of the board.V A wire spring 50 is carried by the pivotal joint 46, and normally urges the locking arm 41 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2. The arm 41 has a recess 5l to provide clearance for the projection 48 when the ironing board folded, as

clearly shown in Fig. 3. y v

In accordance with the present invention the strut 29 which connects together the pair-of legs 20, 2| is so arranged and constructed that the swinging 'movement of the strut part llwith respect to the legs, during the opening or setting up of theV ironing board, causes the lower extremities of the legs to be spread further apart. The structure by which this is Waccomplished is shownin Figs. l, 7 and 8. The strut part 40 'has an veye 52 which encircles and is rigidly secured to Va short tubular member 53 in turn rigidly connected by pins `54 with tubular members 55 which telescopically receive at their juxtaposed ends 'the short tubular member 53.` the strut part 40 and Aeye 52 thereof, togetherwith the tubular members 53 and'55 `constitute'. a single, rigid assembly. ,u Y

Each for the tubular. members 55 carries'a pair of spaced, cam 'members 5B which act as thread elements and are in the form A'of collarspartially encircling the members 55. Thememb'ers 356 may 'be made of sections of tubing, the ends of which are cut off lat an angle. v "Driving connections are established vbetween 'the cam rmembers 56 and ytubular members 55 carrying the same, by pins 51 secured to the cam 'members and extending into short, longitudinally extending slots 5s in the tubular members Cooperable with `the cam members 55 are com`- .plementary cam members 59, Staand` 6B, also slidab'ly carried onV the tubular members v55 and having the form of collars partially encircling fsa'idmembers.

' The collars 60 are rigidly connected by meansV of pins 6I with external tubular `membersjfor sleeves 62 Which encircle and are slidable on the collars or members 56. The cam members 59 and .59aarekeyed to the sleeves 62 by means of pins 63 carried'by the sleeve, extending into longitudinally extending slots 64 in the cam members.

Considering the portion of Fig. '1 to the left of the eye 52, the cam member 59 is rigidly secured 'toa boss 65 carried by a fitting 66 whichk is in turlnsecuredto the leg part 21. Q

.-A spiral extension spring 61 is' provided, extending through the tubular members 53 and 55, 'the ends of the spring being connected to the nbosses 65 on ttings 6B of the leg parts 21. The extension spring 61 tends to normally 'urge the "legparts 21 toward each other. y

It will rbe seen that the strut construction as set forth above is in the nature of a pair ci screws and nuts, fthe .screw .parts being consti- Thus . lowsr tuted.- bythe .tubular members 55 and cam :mehrn bers 5B carried thereby, and the nut parts beingr constituted by lthe sleeves'62 and'cam: members 59, 59aand 60` associated with'thefsleeves. 'The extension spring 61 normally tends tomaintain lthe cam members 56, 59, 59a and 60 in engagement with each other, rsince all of -saidnmembers except the members 6D are axially movable to a limited extent .by virtue of the pin and vslot connections associated with them. l

The operationof the strut' 29 is as follows: When the ironing board isbeing openedand set upfor use, referring to'Fig. 2, the strut par-t l4l) will' swing clockwise with respect to Vthe sleeve parts 62 of the strut 29. the eye 52 ofthe strut part 40 is'viewed from the left yend'of thegure, it would move clockwise, with respect to the sleeve 62 during the opening or setting up movement ofthe ironing board. This will result in the cam members 56 keyed to the tubular member 55 traveling along the 'cooperable lcam members 59, 59a and 60 in sucha way as to shift the sleeve 6,2` (in the left part of the ligure) toward the left. The tubular meme ber 55 will be caused to partially emerge from the adjacent end of the sleeve '62 by virtueof such shifting, and as a consequence'the ,two sleeves 52 will be caused to'separate axially, thereby spreading apart the leg parts 21.

Upon the' ironing board being collapsed, the reverse of the above operation 'will take place and the sleeves 62 will be moved axially toward each other, resuming the positions shown in Figs l and 7. A

To provide for adjusting the height of the iron? ing board, theparts 21 and "32' of the articulated legs telescopically receive feet 68 havinga'plurality'of openings 69 'whereby the feet may be secured, 'by means of screws 69a passing through the leg parts,'in a number of different extended orretracted positions. u y

The operation of the ironing. board fis as fol- Referring to Figs. i and 2,l ifit should bedesired to collapse and fold the board'from ex,- tended position, it ismerely necessary VY.to :unlock the front leg 23 by moving the locking arm -41 to the left as viewed in Fig. 2, out of engagement with the locking projection 48;, and then move inward or toward the leaves H and l2 the` intermediate strut section .41.. The dotted line positions of the parts indicates theresult of such movement. Therear legs 2U, 2| commence to fold inward with respect to the rear u Aleal? il, and also the lower leg parts 21 fold inleg, and said upper portion folds upward toward the front leaf l2. The locking arm`41 ymeanwhile is guided by the undersurface of the front kleaf vI2 and turns counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 2 toward a position coplanar'with the arms 25 of the front leg. The folding movements ofv the legs and struts are continued` and simultaneously therewith the leaves Il and LV2. are folded, with the result that the legs and struts will nest within the folded leaves when the latter attain the position shown in Fig..3. v

To set up the ironing board, a reverse of. this operation is required, that is, the leaves l! and l2 are rst swung apart. During such movement the spring 56 will be acting on the locking arm 41 and will automatically move the arm toward its locking position. The '.force of the Considering Fig. if

7 spring 50 will tend to extendthe articulated legs, moving these from their positions folded against the leaves, and as the 4opening movement of the leaves, is continued. the klegs will, by virtue =of their, being, interconnectedby the strut sections 411,` ,M and 42,;become further extended, whereuponethejoperator may graspthe intermediate strutgsectionl and move it away from the leaves Il andA l2, causing the entire supporting structure to assume its fully open position. The locking arm 41 will, under the action of the spring 50 automatically engage the locking projection 48 and will lock in-the recess49 thereof, and the ironing board will lbe fully set up and locked, 'ready for use. l y' l Itwill be noted that the natural inclination oflacuser in collapsing theironing board is to shift the intermediate strut section 4l toward the. leaves H and l2, and that in setting up the irning board the natural inclination is to move the strut section 4l away from the leaves. Thus the operation of setting up or collapsing the ironingboard is found to be extremely simple, and no vskill or instruction is required by the operator in Vcarrying out these operations.

' Another embodiment of the inventionis shown in Fig.- 9, wherein an ironing board top structure 10a is provided in combination with a cabinet 10, the latter being adapted to support the back end of the top structure. In this embodiment, therironing board structure Illa is arranged to be folded and swung into a drawer compartment in the cabinet, for storage.

The front leaf I2a of the ironing board is supported by a leg structure 23a similar to the leg 23 previously described in connection with Figs. 'l .through 8, with the'exception that the leg '23a is not connected with a horizontal strut such as the strut `fill described previously.

It vwill be understood that the leg.23a may be folded to a collapsed position within the hollow portion of the front leaf l2a in the manner already described. i

The cabinet I8 may be of any suitable type, and is provided with a shelf or drawer space H, which may be closed by a flap 12 hingedly connected to the cabinet as shown.

The back end of the leaf Ha of the ironing board is bolted to one arm 13 of a hinge bracket 14 the other arm 'l5 of which is secured to the side wall 16 of the cabinet.

Preferably the arm 13 of the bracket has at its free end a roller 'i1 adapted to ride on the 'shelf surface 18 forming the floor of the space against the underside of the leaf lla, to an underposed position. This folded or collapsed assemblage may then be swung to the right and into the shelf space 1|, this operation being facilitated bythe roller 'H which supports the bracket arm 73 and enables the arm to move freely on th'e shelf surface 18. After the ironing board has been collapsed andstored in the space 1|, the flap 'l2 may be swung upward, concealing and closing over the said space.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 10, wherein a folding ironing board 8B made in accordance with the disclosure of Figs. 1 through 8, is carried or stored in a door compartment 8| of a cabinet 82, the said compartment having a hinged panel or closure 81a.

The back end of the leaf Hb of the ironing board 80 is pivotally connected to L-shaped arms 83 of brackets 84 which have h ubsor sleeves `84a carried on upright rods 85 securedtouthe bottom oriioor surface 86 of the compartment 8l.V It will be understood thatrthe .front leaf {2b/of the ironing boardwhen the latter is in collapsed position, is foldedvmagainst theA` underside of the back leaf Hb, vas clearly shownin Fig.10. Y Y

When it is desired to remove the ironing` board for use, the Vhinged panel Sla is swung open, exposing the interior of the compartment 8l. The folded ironing board'll is then swungpartially downward towardhorizontalposition and lifted,` so as to remove the brackets 84 from the rods carrying them. The ironing boardf may then be completely removed from the compartment 8| and set up` for use in themanner described previously in connection withl Figs. 1 through.

Variations and modifications may-.be Yiriade within the scope of this invention and portions `of the improvements may be'used without others.

I claim:

l. In an ironing board construction, a cabinet having in it a horizontally extending shelf space; an articulated foldingironing board comprising two fiat leavesv disposed end-to-end and having upper ironing surfaces; means hingedly connecting said leaves together in'a plane .below the upper surfaces thereof and at the adjacent ends whereby one leaf is foldable on the other from a horizontal, open, aligned position downward and through a degree arc to a closed, underposed position; extendable and collapsible leg means connected to said one leaf forsupportin'g the latter on a floor surface; and means including a hinge bracket, for supporting the other leaf on the said cabinet, said bracket being arranged to enable the leaves when folded Ytogether tdbe swung into the shelf `space' entirely within the cabinet, for storage. i j

2. In an ironing board construction, a cabinet having in it a horizontally extending space; an articulated folding ironing board comprising two fiat leaves disposed end-to-end and having upper ironing surfaces; means hingedly connecting said leaves together in a plane below the upper surfaces thereof and atthe adjacent ends whereby one leaf is foldable on the other from' a horifzontal, opening, aligned position downward 'and through a 180 degree arc to a closed, underposed position; extendable and collapsible leg means connected to one leaf for supporting the latter on a floor surface; and means for supporting the other leaf on said cabinet, said means enabling the leaves when folded to be shifted edgewise into the shelf space entirely within the cabinet, for

storage. Y

3. In an ironing board construction, ,a cabinet having in it a horizontal extendingspace; lan articulated folding ironing board comprising two at leaves disposed end-to-end and having upper ironing surfaces; means hingedly connecting said leaves togetherin a plane below the 'upper surfaces thereof and at the adjacent ends whereby one leaf is foldable on the other fromk an open, aligned horizontal position to' a'closed, underposed position; extendable and collapsible leg means, connected .to said one leaf for supporting the latter on a floor surface; and means for supporting the other'leaf on said cabinet, said means having a pivot mechanism enabling the leaves when folded to be swung edgewise -into the shelf space entirely within the cabinetfor storage.v Y '4. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which the cabinet has a shelf defining said shelf space, in which said hinge bracket supports one corner of the other leaf, and in which the opposite corner of the other leaf has a roller riding on said shelf to support the ironing board during use and during its swinging movement.

5. In an ironing board construction, a cabinet having in it a horizontally extending shelf space and a shelf defining said space; an articulated folding ironing board comprising two flat leaves 1 disposed end-to-end and having upper ironing surfaces; means hingedly connected said leaves together at the adjacent ends whereby one leaf is foldable on the other from an open, aligned horizontal position to a closed, underposed position; extendable and collapsible leg means connected to said one leaf for supporting the latter on a floor surface; hinge means for supporting a corner of the other leaf on the said cabinet, said means enabling the leaves when folded together to be shifted into the shelf space entirely within the cabinet, for storage; and an antifriction support carried by the opposite corner of 10 said other leaf, riding over the shelf` and supporting the ironing board during use andiduring its movement into or out ofthe shelf space.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5, in which the hinge means supporting the other leaf comprises a hinged bracket, and in which the antifriction support comprises a roller carried by said bracket.

JOHN J. TOTH.

REFERENCES CITED Y The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 78,642 Briggs June 9, 1868 437,264 Trimble Sept. 30, 1890 886,361 Fiebke May 5, 1908 1,038,447 Schwartz et al Sept. 10, 1912 1,427,343 Ballard et al. Aug. 29, 1922 1,953,952 Carey et al. Apr. 10, 1934 2,175,734 Snyder Oct. 10, 1939 

